Mohamud
Mohamud v. Immigration Naturalization & Services
Opinion
Lead Opinion
MEMORANDUM *
Petitioner Mohamud contests the Board of Immigration Appeals’ (BIA) denial of his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and voluntary departure. The BIA’s denial rested on its determination that Mohamud lacked credibility. For the reasons we set out below, we remand Mo-hamud’s petition to the BIA for greater factfinding.
Credibility findings of an IJ and the BIA are reviewed under a “substantial evidence” standard. See Ramos-Vasquez v. INS, 57 F.3d 857, 861 (9th Cir.1995). This court must uphold the BIA’s findings unless the evidence presented would compel a reasonable finder of fact to reach a eon-trary result, see de Leon-Barrios v. INS, 116 F.3d 391 , 393 (9th Cir.1997); however, minor inconsistencies in the record are not an adequate basis for an adverse credibility finding, see Mejia-Paiz v. INS, 111 F.3d 720 , 726 (9th Cir.1997).
Mohamud claims he is entitled to asylum because he was persecuted or because he has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. 8 U.S.C. § 1101 (a)(42). Specifically he alleges that he is a member of a minority clan (the…